"All My Ex's Live in Texas" is a song written by Sanger D. Shafer and Lyndia J. Shafer, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer

George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait has sold over 120 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He holds ...

. It was released in April 1987 as the second single from Strait's album '' Ocean Front Property''. "All My Ex's Live In Texas" was nominated for Best Male Country Vocal Performance at the 1988 Grammy Awards. A version of the song recorded by its co-author Sanger D. Shafer appeared in the film '' Road House'', the video game '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' and TV show ''

Ash vs Evil Dead ''Ash vs Evil Dead'' is an American comedy horror television series developed by Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi, and Tom Spezialy for Starz. The series is set in the '' Evil Dead'' universe created by Raimi, with Bruce Campbell reprising his role a ...

''. Rapper

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

mentions the song in his single " HYFR". The song "Tip Your Bartender" by New York post-hardcore band Glassjaw, contains the lyric: "All my ex's live with hexes." The format of the song is that of a list song.

Content

The narrator explains that he had lived most of his life in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

along the

Frio River The Frio River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas. The word ''frío'' is Spanish for ''cold'', a clear reference to the spring-fed coolness of the river. Variant names According to the Geographic Names Information System, it has also been ...

(

Brazos River The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 14th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...

in Shafer's original recording,

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

in his later performances), but that a string of failed relationships with women in that state that ended disastrously (such as going insane, sending the law after him and walking out before the honeymoon) prompted him to flee to

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

; he still relives his more pleasant times in Texas by way of Transcendental Meditation each night. The song is known for its

Western Swing Western swing, country jazz or smooth country is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands. It is dance music, often with an up-tempo beat, which att ...

style rhythm.

Cover versions

Country music singer Jack Ingram covered the song from the television special George Strait: ACM Artist of the Decade All Star Concert.

Critical reception

"All My Ex's Live in Texas" is widely regarded as one of Strait's best songs. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' and ''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

'' ranked the song number two and number five, respectively, on their lists of the 10 greatest George Strait songs. Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song a B+ grade, saying that "you can almost hear the guy smirking as he sings this swinging hit, running down a list of jilted lovers from all over the Lone Star state."

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

* 1987 singles 1986 songs George Strait songs Songs about Texas Songs written by Sanger D. Shafer Song recordings produced by Jimmy Bowen MCA Nashville Records singles {{1986-country-song-stub